Finnish hearts are left broken
RED DEVILS ARE SAVED BY TWO LATE STRIKES
Brave Finland’s Euro hopes were crushed in the cruellest possible manner on a night of heartbreak in Saint Petersburg. The minnows fought valiantly to keep out a Belgium team ranked the best in the world for
live game 500 so long as they chased an automatic place in the last 16.
But just as it seemed that they would write history, fate viciously conspired against them, with an own-goal from their star of the tournament Lukas Hradecky, right.
It was so cruel on the brilliant keeper who had performed heroics on the night to keep the Belgians at bay.
But there was nothing he could do as Thomas Vermaelen’s header cannoned off the bar, and hit him before agonisingly crawling over the line on 74 minutes.
Seven minutes later Romelu Lukaku smashed a second goal but Finland can take heart from a brilliant display at these Euros.
To have come this far, and enter the last group game with their qualifying destiny still in their own grasp, was remarkable enough.
But their ability to blunt the Red Devils’ attack for as long as they did was admirable.This is a team who have Danny O’Shaughnessy at centre-half – the Finnish-born son of an Irish father – who had two brief, unsuccessful spells with Brentford and Cheltenham before going back home.
Yet here he was, magnificent against the best strikers in the world, somehow keeping Lukaku quiet in a first half when the Belgians were restricted to few chances.
Inevitably Kevin De Bruyne was at the heart of them. He has shown great courage to return so quickly after shattering his eye socket and cheekbone in the Champions League final.
In one run, he glided past four defenders before his cross crashed off Paulus Arajuuri towards goal, only to hit
Hradecky on the head when he knew nothing about it. Lukaku headed straight at the keeper from another De Bruyne ball, and shot wide early on from the same source.
Hradecky has made a name for himself at the Euros and another save from Jeremy Doku was a fine exhibition of his quality, as he stretched to turn the ball wide.
He produced an even better save on 63 minutes when Eden Hazard seemed certain to score as he shot powerfully from close range.
But Hradecky’s strength and reactions were magnificent. Then came that cruel twist of fate for the unlucky Finns and Lukaku’s brilliant finish to bring heartbreak at the end.
FINLAND (4-4-2): Hradecky 8; Toivio 7, Arajuuri 7, O’Shaughnessy 7, Raitala 7; Kamara 7, Lod 7, Sparv 7 (Schuller 59), Uronen (Alho 69, 6); Pukki 6, Pohjanpalo 6 (Kauko 69, 6).
BELGIUM (3-4-3): Courtois 6; Vermaelen 6, Denayer 6, Boyata 6; Chadli 6, Witsel 6, De Bruyne 7, Trossard 6 (Meunier 75); E Hazard 6, Lukaku 7 (Benteke 84), Doku 6 (Batshuayi 76). Goal: Hradecky og 74, Lukaku 81.